You mean someone actually has information about how the concert was coming along? I haven't seen or read a peep on how the Rolling Stones' concert was doing, or how much they sold. (Ok, I wasn't looking for it). But at least, for their sakes, it was successful.

i'm not surprised in the least... they played a ton of stadium shows where they sold hundreds of floor tickets closer to the stage for 450 bucks a pop, plus on stage box seats for 250 bucks a pop, and every seat on the floor that wasn't 450 was at least over 100 bucks a piece.

u2 may have had more people attend, but the stones charged so damned much that it was a given that they'd make more money.... plus it probably cost them less to put on the tour because they were sponsored by ameriquest.

The Stones and probably U2 and many older artists can charge much higher ticket prices since the majority of their fans are adults who aren't living off Ramen noodles,well, some of us still are but you know what I mean, their main fanbase isn't 15 year old teenagers. It's all about the demographics.

The Rolling Stones have made more money than U2 in the USA - I guess they will probably beat them worldwide overall?

For the 2005 VERTIGO tour, this is U2's worldwide total:

GROSS: $294,795,607
ATTENDANCE: 3,414,556
SHOWS: 110
SELLOUTS: 110

Notice that U2 did not come close to satisfying demand this year either. The Band will play 20 plus shows in markets outside of Europe and North America in 2006 and VERTIGO will be the first tour in history to cross the $400 million dollar mark, when the tour ends in April!

But, if U2 wanted to continue the tour, they could play several dozen more stadium shows throughout Europe and North America adding potentially another $200 million dollars in GROSS to the figure.

U2 already has the record for the highest GROSSING tour in European history:

All 32 shows sold out the day they were put on sale. Notice that several Rolling Stones shows for their upcoming tour of Europe still have tickets available weeks after first going on sale.

Also, early reports from Argentina, a Rolling Stones Stronghold, show that U2 shows there are selling faster than the current Rolling Stones shows on sale there.

The Stones may eventually top U2 when it comes to GROSS because U2 is ending its tour early from a commercial standpoint and the Stones will obviously extend the tour for how ever long it takes them to top U2's GROSS total achieved in mid-April 2006. But the VERTIGO tour will set a worldwide record when it finishes in April 2006 and will have a GROSS total at that time than no other artist has ever achieved in history. This is a first for U2, and the first time another artist has set a global record like this other than the Rolling Stones since the early 1970s.

The Stones and probably U2 and many older artists can charge much higher ticket prices since the majority of their fans are adults who aren't living off Ramen noodles,well, some of us still are but you know what I mean, their main fanbase isn't 15 year old teenagers. It's all about the demographics.

Thats actually incorrect. U2 played to 1.4 million people in North America in 2005. The Stones only played to 1.2 million people, but GROSSED $162 million dollars vs $138 million for U2.

Some would say that kids living with their parents have more disposable income and time to be going to concerts than older people who have a house, car, and kids to take care of. So no, I think the democraphic arguement is incorrect. AC/DC ticket price are similar to Coldplays and other young groups.

Bottom line, the price you charge is based on supply and demand, its that simple. These artist charge their market value and there are many older groups with older fan bases that charge less for tickets than some of today's young artist.

could u2 have had this record if they really wanted to try for it? yes... deffinetly.

radiohead? no chance in hell. it's not the late 90s anymore... radiohead's popularity isn't on the same level as coldplay, let alone u2 or the stones.

you need to appeal to more than just the diehards and music junkies in order to set these sorts of records. radiohead, maybe by choice, just doesn't do that.

Radiohead at their peak were not any popular than U2 was with the Unforgettable Fire album and tour. Being a huge star among the critics and indie scene does not mean one is a huge star among the general public. Radioheads biggest selling album sold less than U2's POP!